Job Description

Line installers and repairers construct and maintain vast networks of wires and cables that provide customers with electrical power and communications services.

Necessary Education

High School Diploma; additional technical schooling preferred

Helpful High School Courses

English, Mathematics, Algebra, Business courses

Working Conditions

• Many work a 40-hour week and may have to work overtime and irregular hours
  
• Must climb and maintain balance while working on poles and towers
  
• Lift equipment and work in a variety of positions, such as stooping or kneeling
  
• Often required to drive utility vehicles
  
• May travel long distances
  
• May work outdoors under a variety of weather conditions
  
• Must follow safety procedures and wear safety equipment to minimize potential danger
  

Salary Range

• 2003, Delaware average annual salary, $42,640
  
• 2003, Delaware average hourly wage, $20.50
  

Career Ladder Information

• Most work for telephone, cable television, electric power, or construction companies
  
• Most are trained on-the-job
  
• Entry-level line installers may be hired as ground workers, helpers, or tree trimmers
  
• May advance to positions stringing cable and performing service installations
  
• With experience, may advance to more sophisticated maintenance and repair positions responsible for increasingly larger portions of the network, or supervisory or training positions
  
• A college diploma is typically required for more advanced supervisory positions
  
• Overall employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2010, much of this resulting from growth in the telecommunications industry

Personal Qualities and Interests

     You:

• Have mechanical ability
  
• Have stamina, strength, and coordination
  
• Are not afraid of heights
  
• Are able to distinguish colors
  
• Have good customer service and interpersonal skills

Did you know?

• Most line installers and repairers belong to unions, such as the Communications Workers of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Utility Workers Union of America. For these workers, union contracts set wage rates, wage increases, and the time needed to advance from one job level to the next

Additional Information

• Occupational Outlook Handbook: http://www.bls.gov/oco
• Communications Workers of America: http://www.cwa-union.org

  
  

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